Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Seekor kucing kami mirip dengan kucing tetangga. - One of our cats looks similar to the neighbor’s cat.

seekor kucing = one cat
dua ekor kucing = two cats
You can also say satu ekor kucing; it’s equivalent, with a slightly more “counting” feel. Using se- is compact and common.

Can I omit seekor here?

Yes, but the meaning shifts.

Kucing kami mirip dengan kucing tetangga is most naturally “Our cat is similar to the neighbor’s cat.” It doesn’t clearly say “one of our cats.”
Seekor kucing kami… suggests you have multiple cats, and one of them is similar.
More explicit and very natural for “one of our cats” is Salah satu kucing kami mirip dengan kucing tetangga.

Is Seekor kucing kami natural, or should I prefer something else?

It’s grammatical and acceptable. In everyday speech, many people prefer the clearer Salah satu kucing kami… If you want to avoid any “counting” feel, another smooth option is: Kami punya seekor kucing yang mirip dengan kucing tetangga.

Why is the possessive pronoun after the noun (why kucing kami, not “kami kucing”)?

In Indonesian, possessors typically follow the noun: kucing kami = our cat(s). Other options:

Using a “belonging to” construction: kucing milik kami (more formal/emphatic).
For 1st/2nd person singular, enclitics exist: kucingku (my cat), kucingmu (your cat). There is no enclitic for “our,” so you use kami or kita after the noun.

What’s the difference between kami and kita here?

kami = we/our excluding the listener.
kita = we/our including the listener.
So use kucing kami if the listener is not included as an owner; use kucing kita if they are. Both are grammatically fine; the choice is about inclusion.

Is mirip dengan the best phrase? What about mirip seperti or just mirip?

Standard and safe: mirip dengan.
Common in casual speech: mirip without a preposition (e.g., mirip kucing tetangga).
Colloquial: mirip sama (Jakarta-influenced).
mirip seperti is widespread but often considered redundant in careful writing. For formal contexts, prefer mirip dengan.

How strong is mirip compared to sama (dengan) or serupa (dengan)?

mirip (dengan) = similar to; resemblance, not identity.
serupa (dengan) = similar to; a bit more formal or bookish than mirip.
sama (dengan) = the same as; stronger, suggests equivalence rather than mere similarity.

Does kucing tetangga mean “the neighbor’s cat” or “a neighbor’s cat”?

It’s context-dependent because Indonesian has no articles. It can be either. To be precise:

“our neighbor’s cat” = kucing tetangga kami
“that neighbor’s cat (specific)” = kucing tetangga itu
“a neighbor’s cat” (introducing one) = seekor kucing tetangga
Colloquial possessive alternatives: kucingnya tetangga; formal: kucing milik tetangga.

How do I say “one of our cats” most clearly?

Use Salah satu kucing kami. You may also see Salah seekor kucing kami (with the animal classifier), which is acceptable but less common in casual speech.
Examples:

Salah satu kucing kami mirip dengan kucing tetangga.
Salah seekor kucing kami mirip dengan kucing tetangga.

How do I express plurals and quantities with cats?

Reduplication for plural emphasis: kucing-kucing kami = our cats.
Numbers use the classifier ekor: dua ekor kucing kami, tiga ekor kucing kami.
Indefinite plural: beberapa kucing kami = several of our cats.
Example with two: Dua ekor kucing kami mirip dengan kucing tetangga.

Why isn’t there a yang in the sentence? When would I use it?

Here, mirip dengan kucing tetangga is the predicate, so no yang is needed.
Use yang when you want a relative clause that modifies the noun:

Seekor kucing kami yang mirip dengan kucing tetangga hilang. = The one of our cats that resembles the neighbor’s cat is missing.

Can I drop dengan after mirip?

In casual speech, yes: mirip kucing tetangga is common and understood. For standard/formal usage, keep dengan: mirip dengan kucing tetangga. Colloquial mirip sama is also widespread but informal.

How do I compare degrees of similarity, like “more similar to X than Y”?

Use the comparative pattern lebih … daripada …:

Kucing kami lebih mirip dengan kucing tetangga daripada kucing sepupu saya.

Are there other natural ways to express possession besides placing the pronoun after the noun?

Yes:

With “have”: Kami punya seekor kucing yang mirip dengan kucing tetangga.
With “belonging to”: kucing milik tetangga (kami) (more formal).
Colloquial third-person possessive: kucingnya tetangga (= the neighbor’s cat).

What’s the general pattern for classifiers like ekor?

Common “se- + classifier” forms:

seekor (animals), e.g., seekor kucing
seorang (people), e.g., seorang guru
sebuah (most inanimate countable nouns), e.g., sebuah rumah
You can also use satu + classifier: satu ekor kucing, satu orang guru, satu buah rumah.

Do I need something like “the/that” to mark definiteness?

Indonesian doesn’t have articles. To mark a specific known referent, add demonstratives:

itu (that): kucing tetangga itu
ini (this): kucing tetangga ini
For your cat specifically: kucing kami itu makes the definiteness explicit if context requires it.